Send the Pain Below
by AkatsukixXxProdigy
Summary: After the death of his beloved and only sibling, Inuyasha must pick up the pieces of his shattered heart and become the Daiyoukai he was destined to be. OOC/PREVIOUS CHARACTER DEATH/KAGOME BASHING/ANGST/MENTIONED YAOI. Enjoy!
1. Moving on

Send the Pain below

**A/N:** So….ummm….I'm back?….Before I start giving excuses for why I was gone so goddamn long…let me start by first saying, I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry. Between school, then summer, then a life altering medical problem, school again, and spending every weekend I was able to with my boyfriend, writing fell to the bottom of my list. Not only that but I had the biggest writers block ever. But for the past few weeks I've been writing my little butt off so I was finally able to get this over with and start on an other story I've been wanting to write. So once again I am sorry. Without delaying the story any further, here is my epilogue to Chasm of Circles. The title is from the song "Send the Pain Below" by Chevelle. Please enjoy, and thanks for sticking with me.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or the song "Send the Pain Below". I've just used them for my own fantasies.

**Warnings:** Not much really other than angst and maybe some OOC.

**Chapter 1:**

The sun was setting behind the large mountains in the distance. It was relatively warm outside, the leaves were beginning to turn into oranges and browns and yellows. On any other day, this would be beautiful to the inu-hanyou, Inuyasha. But today, he could care less about the weather. He had just buried his would-be mate, nothing was going to make him smile today. Inuyasha and his pack had arrived at Sesshomaru's castle a few days ago, where they had explained to the council members what had happened to the Daiyoukai, and also decided to hold the funeral today. The ceremony had only been about a half hour long. Everyone paid their respects to their fallen lord, the last ones being Inuyasha and Rin, Sesshomaru's closest family. Now there was a memorial service being held in the dining hall, everyone honoring the great Daiyoukai in some way or another. The council had already assured him that he would inherit his father's lands, as instructed in Sesshomaru's will. The new Daiyoukai was glad that the council had acknowledged him as the rightful demon lord he should be, Sesshomaru especially. Despite his new position, he wasn't sure he would be able to do this on his own. He should have had Sesshomaru as his mate to help him rule their father's lands, not just by himself.

Inuyasha hadn't felt like being around everyone. He had slipped out of the dining hall, heading towards the outer gardens next to what would have been his and Sesshomaru's room. He had decided that he would ask for a new room, as he didn't think he could stand sleeping in a room that smelled so much like his brother. It was too painful to think about the things that could have happened in that room, not just mating his brother, but spending time with him, raising a family with him. No, Inuyasha would lock that room away, as if to keep Sesshomaru's essence alive as long as possible.

As he entered the gardens, he tried to notice the beautiful autumn evening, but nature wasn't going to be his escape this time. There was a large cherry blossom tree in the far corner of the garden, it's blooms long since gone and it's leaves beginning to turn. It reminded Inuyasha of the Goshinboku back in his village. Finding small comfort in this, he walked over to it to sit down, not expecting to find someone already occupying it.

Inuyasha found Rin drawing random circles in the ground with her fingers. She didn't seem to notice him, too lost in thought, "Hey kiddo, what'cha doin' out here?" Inuyasha said gently so as not to startle the girl. Rin was about 12 now, she was going to be a very beautiful woman when she got older, Sesshomaru had raised her well.

Rin looked up at him and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it came out more sad than reassuring. She returned the sad smile, though, and motioned for the hanyou to sit next to her. He did, and she scooted closer to him, "People kept asking me how I was feeling and telling me they were sorry. I just wanted some quiet."

Inuyasha grunted in understanding, "Yeah, I know how you feel." They sat their for a while, enjoying the peace, as well as the others company. Finally, Inuyasha noticed the girl was shivering. She was only wearing a simple black kimono, so Inuyasha took off his outer robes, black ones that the servants had provided him, and draped them around her.

Rin looked up at him again and hugged the garment closer, "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Ya know, Rin, I was supposed to become your Otou-san." Inuyasha said quietly.

"I know, Chichiue had told me you two might become mates." Rin said sadly, the thought of her pseudo father making her breath hitch in her throat.

Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her and held her closer, noting the tears welling up in her eyes, "Well, are you ok with me being your dad still? Because I would like to take care of you now, Rin. I want you to stay with me. But if not, you can always go somewhere else. Kaede has offered to take care of you. Sango and Miroku would love to take you too." Inuyasha looked hopefully at the girl. He felt it his responsibility to take care of her, he had always loved her for melting the ice in his brother's heart. And there was the fact that she would have, in fact, been his daughter anyways had Sesshomaru not…

Rin smiled and shocked Inuyasha by hugging him tightly, "I don't want to leave, I want to be with you Otou-san."

Inuyasha couldn't help himself, and hugged his daughter back, holding her for a few moments. When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes again, "I wish Chichiue was here too."

Inuyasha's heart ached at those words, "I know kiddo, I wish he was too."

"Did you know how much Chichiue loved you?" Rin suddenly asked, "He told me one night. He was so sad, and I didn't know why. He told me that me and you were the most important things to him. That's when he said he wanted you to be his mate, so that I could have two fathers. But…he told me he wasn't sure how much you loved him." Rin looked into Inuyasha's eyes, asking the question without saying it.

Inuyasha ran his clawed hands through Rin's hair, ruffling it a bit, "Ya know what Rin? I loved your Chichiue very, very much. I just didn't realize it until it was too late. I still love him though. I always will."

Rin's tears decided to fall then, "Good…I'm very glad to hear that." She fell into Inuyasha's arms again and began sobbing, "Why did he have to leave us? He was so strong, nothing was supposed to kill him!"

Inuyasha felt his heart clench and tears started to fall from his eyes as well, "I know, Rin. I'm so sorry." They held each other closely as their tears fell. Both of them searching for comfort in the other. After a while, their tears stopped and they both pulled away and sniffled. They took one glance at each other, then laughed lightly at how pathetic they both looked. Their eyes puffy, their noses runny, their cheeks red and tear stained.

"It's a good thing no one is here to see us lookin' like this huh kid." Inuyasha smiled and wiped some hair from Rin's face that had been pasted there by her tears.

"Yeah, it feels good to cry without anyone hovering over you." Rin sniffled again.

Inuyasha's smile fell slightly, "Rin, I have to tell you. It's my fault Sesshomaru died."

"What…what do you mean?"

The inu-hanyou sighed, "Sango explained it to me. She's really smart when it comes to all this demon stuff." Inuyasha hesitated a little before continuing, "She told me that, Sesshomaru must have been weakened before our battle with Naraku."

Rin looked confused, "How was he weakened?"

"Because I didn't want to be with him." Inuyasha said shamefully.

Rin gasped, "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, I've always loved my brother, but like I said before I had just never realized it." Inuyasha gratefully noted the relieved look on the young girl's face. "Me and your Chichiue had so many…problems in the past that I looked over the fact that I loved him." Rin nodded for him to continue.

"Did Sesshomaru ever explain to you what inner youkai are?" Inuyasha asked.

Rin nodded, "Yeah, he explained that its like your true inner selves. He said he would explain it more when I got older…" another pained look took over the girl's face.

"I'll teach ya'…" Inuyasha ruffled her hair again. "Anyways, Sango told me that our inner youkai's must have already chosen each other as mates, even if mine wasn't aware of it at the time. And because Sesshomaru's inner youkai was being denied by its chosen mate, it was causing Sesshomaru to become tired and kinda sick all the time."

"Oh…my poor Chichiue." Rin looked about to cry again.

"So…you can blame me for his…death. If you want. I mean, he also was protecting me when he died." Inuyasha looked away from the girl, suddenly not able to face her. He was really sure she was going to hate him now, but was proven wrong when he felt her small warm hand on his. He turned and she was smiling.

"I'm not going to blame you, Otou-san. It was not your fault. Your heart was confused. I'm just happy that you realized it now." Rin really was too wise for her age.

"Really? Your not mad at me?"

"Of course not, how could I be mad at you? You are my Otou-san after all. And besides I know how hard it must have been for you to love Chichiue. He could be a meanie sometimes. You should have seen how he was towards Master Jaken."

Inuyasha had to chuckle, "Believe me kid, it wasn't just your Chichiue who used to be mean towards that little imp." This caused Rin to giggle, and it warmed the hanyou's heart to know that he could at least make the girl laugh.

"Thank you for cheering me up. You're already a great father. I love you." Rin hugged Inuyasha again.

Inuyasha didn't know what to say, he was truly touched. He returned the hug and whispered, "I love you too kiddo." He thought of something, and quickly added, "And I made sure that Sesshomaru knew I loved him before he died."

Rin smiled brightly, "Then I know he's happy, wherever he is." Suddenly, the two were happier than they had been the past few days.

"Rin, I think we can get through this. We can be happy, as long as we've got each other. Deal?"

The girl nodded, "Deal."

It was at this time they both noticed that the sun had gone down and it was a lot cooler than it had been earlier. "Lets go inside, people are probably wonderin' where we are." They got up and headed back inside. "Did you eat already, Rin?"

The girl shook her head, "I was too upset. My tummy was hurting. But I'm really hungry now."

Inuyasha smirked, "Well the foods probably already gone, but we can get the cook to make us our own feast, whata'ya say?"

The girl nodded her head excitedly, "That sounds great!"

Inuyasha laughed again, "Yeah we're gonna do just fine kid."

XXXXXXXX

Inuyasha followed the servant to his new room. He had requested it near Rin's room, in case she needed him in the middle of the night. It was down the hall from where Sesshomaru's room was, and only a few doors down from his new daughter's. The servant opened the door and made room for Inuyasha to enter. The room was extremely out done for his taste, having lived in the wild for the majority of his life, he wasn't used to the fancy decorations. All he cared about was the huge, fluffy looking bed in the middle of the room. Thanking the servant, finding her name to be Midori, Inuyasha excused her and immediately changed out of his formal black kimono. Simply in his fundoushi, Inuyasha pulled back the various furs and silk blankets covering his bed and settled in for sleep. He had, until now, been sleeping in a guest room while the servants were preparing this room, and he noted how much softer the bed was. Despite this, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, just like the other nights. Even in this room he could smell his brother, Sesshomaru seemed to be everywhere in the castle.

Inuyasha let out a huge sigh as the impact of what had happened finally began settling on him. He seemed to barely be realizing that he was indeed the new Daiyoukai. He was now in charge of pretty much everything in the Western lands. He was momentarily frightened by this, seeing as how he grew up he had no experience what-so-ever with being a Demon Lord. He felt a little reassured, though, knowing that several of the council members had already agreed to help him with his first few months of ruling. Inuyasha was grateful that the council was not as stuffy and stuck up as he had thought they would be. Still, Inuyasha was nervous about being in charge of so many people. He already had a meeting the next morning to assign his advisors. He already knew that he was going to ask Miroku and Sango to be there with him, Sango as a military advisor and Miroku as his own personal advisor. He knew that several of Sesshomaru's advisors would want to help him too, but he would feel more comfortable with people he knew. Then there was the problem of Kagome. Through this whole thing, he had hardly said one thing to the young miko, but from what Miroku and Sango had told him, she was not happy about any of this. She was still very angry with the fact that Inuyasha was in love with his brother, and even more angry with his new position in the Western Lands. She apparently felt that he was "abandoning" them and their mission to find the last of the jewel shards. Inuyasha new it would be easy enough to find them with Naraku gone, and had already planned to send Miroku and Sango to find them once everything had been settled and figured out. He wished dearly that he could go with them, but being the Daiyoukai, he really wasn't going to have time anymore. Inuyasha could only hope he could get Kagome to understand soon. She was annoying as hell, but he still loved her like a sister.

The inu-hanyou was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of soft knocking at his door. He got up and quickly went to answer it. He really wasn't surprised to see it was Rin.

"What's wrong Rin?" Inuyasha asked worriedly.

The girl looked down at her feet, "I can't sleep. Every time I try I have dreams about Chichiue."

Inuyasha ruffled the girls hair, something that seemed to be making a habit of itself, and moved so she could go in the room, "You can sleep with me tonight if you want."

"Thanks Otou-san." Rin sleepily made her way to the bed. She curled up on one side, and Inuyasha pulled some of the furs and blankets over her. He then settled in next to her. Rin automatically snuggled closer to him, yawning tiredly.

"Get some sleep kid." Inuyasha hesitantly put his arm around her as she snuggled closer. Inuyasha was amazed at himself. He never thought this parenting thing would work for him, but his instincts as an alpha were kicking in quickly as his youkai was starting to recognize Rin as his own.

"Chichiue used to let me do this when I had nightmares." Rin mumbled sleepily. Inuyasha just kissed her head and told her once more to get to sleep. He himself, knew he wouldn't be doing any sleeping of his own.

XXXXXXXX

Inuyasha awoke long before the sun was up. He had managed to get a few hours of sleep, enough to get him through the day. But he knew he would be dragging by the time the day was done with. It usually wouldn't bother him too much, he usually could go about four days without sleep and he would feel fine. But these past few days had drained him emotionally and physically, and he could feel his body starting to beg him for rest.

He sat up, careful not to wake up the sleeping girl next to him. He was glad the girl, at least, had gotten some sleep. She had only woken up once from a nightmare, but Inuyasha quickly soothed her back to sleep. He smiled, she looked peaceful in her sleep, not at all in pain from the loss of the man she had called father for the past few years. He knew she still was, though, and only hoped that in sleep she found peace.

Inuyasha made sure his new daughter was wrapped warmly in her blankets and went over to the sitting area in the corner of the room. There was a table there, most likely for him to conduct his paperwork that would accompany his new title as Daiyoukai. But for now there was nothing but a vase with a few pretty purple flowers in it. Next to the table there was a large closet like structure that held some crisp, new clothing that he was pretty much expected to wear. Inuyasha had already accepted the fact that his Fire Rat Robe would not be good clothing for a lord to wear. Though he sure as hell was going to keep it, it was one of the few possessions he had growing up and he cherished it about as much as Tetsusaiga.

After he finally finished getting ready he opened his door to see a servant there waiting to take him to the dining hall to meet with the council members. Inuyasha was still quite unfamiliar with the castle, so he required assistance in finding his way around. Upon entering the dining hall, Inuyasha saw that the council members were already there. He took his place at the head of the table. He had a met a few of them before at Sesshomaru's memorial service, but there were a couple he didn't recognize.

"Lord Inuyasha, our condolences again on the late Sesshomaru." Lord Hideki, a large bear youkai said. He was really kind and had that grandfather feel to him. "We are sorry we had to conduct this business so soon after his passing, but it must be done."

"It's fine, lets just get this over with." Inuyasha stated quickly. He didn't want to dwell on his brother too much.

"The first order of business is that of your personal advisors." An Inu-youkai from the Northwestern Inu tribe spoke. Inuyasha knew him to be Lord Taitsuro. At first, Inuyasha had been shocked when he found out who he was. Inuyasha wasn't aware of too many remaining Inu-youkai, let alone one in the council.

"You are already aware that Lord Sesshomaru's advisor, Kamaji, has asked to work with you. Is there anyone else you wish to work with?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to being so prim and proper, "Actually, there is some one I was thinking of. My friend Miroku."

There was some quiet murmurs among the elders before Taitsuro spoke up again, "The Houshii? Forgive me my Lord, but what does that ningen know of youkai ways and laws.

Inuyasha grunted, "He knows plenty. His mate, Sango, is a demon slayer and is well educated in all things youkai. She is also an excellent fighter, which is why I want Sango as my military advisor."

One of the council members Inuyasha did not know stood up angrily, " A ningen woman in charge of military affairs? That's outrageous!"

Hideki made a gesture for the elder to sit down, "I'm sure our new Lord has his reasons for his choices, and we should respect them."

"Yes, the new Lord Inuyasha seems to have a level head about him, despite the rumors of his stubborn and otherwise short fused temperament." A voice came from the door way. Everyone turned to see a woman with sharp, silver hair and piercing golden eyes. She wore elegant robes and ornate hair pieces, signifying her place in royalty.

"Lady Shizune? We weren't expecting you until later in the week. Didn't you have business to attend to in the east?" Hideki asked.

"Well I ended my meetings as early as I could. It's bad enough I had to miss my own son's funeral because I was caught up in a meeting with the Lord of the East."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "You…your son?"

Shizune gave him a small smile, 'Yes, my child, I'm the mother of the late Sesshomaru."

_Tbc…_

**A/N:** Not to worry! The next chapter is already written and posted Hooray for you guys! Actually this only happened because I had to split the epilogue into two chapters. I originally wanted this to be a oneshot but it didn't happen that way. Anyways hope you guys are liking it so far, and the next chapter is up so read on!


	2. We will endure

Send the Pain Below

**A/N: **Alright so I would've gotten this two-shot out quicker but when I had finally finished writing it was having technical difficulties with my computer and I was unable to upload the story. Then my computer completely died on me and I havent been able to use it for the past couple of months. But my birthday was a couple of days ago and I aquired a new laptop so I'm back in business! Anyways, here's the last part of the epilogue. This was originally gonna be a long oneshot but I decided it needed to be split into two chappies. Hope its alright, it better be since I spent the last several months writing it haha. Alright I won't keep you waiting, read away!

**Disclaimer:** Same as last chapter

**Warnings:** same as above.

**Chapter 2:**

Inuyasha could not find his voice, so he simply watched as Shizune took a place next to Kamaji, smiling warmly at him as they exchanged greetings. Inuyasha sat numbly the rest of the meeting, not really hearing anything anyone said. When the meeting was over Inuyasha watched as the council members left. Shizune, still in the room, went to sit next to the hanyou, where Sesshomaru would have sat. Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to look at her, feeling ashamed all of a sudden. He averted his eyes to his hands in his lap, fiddling with the hem of his embroidered sleeve.

"Inuyasha, dear, you need not be ashamed of yourself." Shizune said, seemingly reading his mind. He slowly turned his gaze to her, wanting to kick himself for acting like a skittish pup. Shizune only smiled at him softly and warmly. "Oh Puppy, I'm so sorry you must deal with all these stuffy old crones while you are still grieving for Sesshomaru." She placed her surprisingly soft hand on Inuyasha's cheek. Inuyasha couldn't find his words, they were caught in his throat at the thought of his brother.

"I know…about you two…" Shizune started slowly.

"What…do you mean?" Inuyasha suddenly felt his face burning, would she be angry that her full blooded youkai son wanted to be mates with her own mate's other half blood son?

"That you and Sesshomaru were to be mates." At the look Inuyasha gave her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, she chuckled lightly, "Don't look so surprised, I am a mother after all, I know things most people aren't aware of."

Inuyasha swallowed hard, 'And, you…were ok with it…us I mean?"

Shizune patted his leg, "Well I must say I was shocked when he finally did tell me he wanted you for a mate. But despite the anger I first felt towards your father and mother, and even you, I knew my son loved you, and I have never once doubted his judgment."

"But…Lady Shizune I…I'm." Inuyasha's thoughts were mixed up and he felt tears welling up in his honey colored eyes, "I'm a half breed." It was the only thing he could say at the moment.

Shizune sighed, but was patient with the hanyou, "Inuyasha, I may have once been resentful of my mate for having another son with a human, but I have since given up that grudge. My mate left me for a reason. At the time, I was too cold, and didn't want anything to do with my pup or your father. I changed my ways shortly after he had died though, simply to see my son grow up to be the great leader he was. I realized being angry would get me know where. As for you being a half breed, I honestly never felt it a thing I should hate you for, or anyone for that matter. My family has many hanyou's, Sesshomaru would have known that had I been there to raise him correctly. Maybe then he would not have been so discriminating against them…against you."

Although this made him feel better, tears were still threatening to fall from his eyes. Shizune just waited patiently for Inuyasha to gather his composure. Finally, as the tears began to fall he spoke, "Lady Shizune, its my fault he's dead." He said in a shaky whisper, not trusting his voice to be any louder.

"It's no one's fault dear-" Shizune started.

"No! It is my fault!" Inuyasha's voice cracked. He felt his inner youkai's pain radiating through him, it was screaming with guilt and remorse. "I told him I didn't love him. I told him I…I told him I hated him!" Inuyasha didn't even care any more if he looked like a weeping pup. He hadn't actually broken down since Sesshomaru died in his arms, and the dam had just burst under the pressure, "And because of that he couldn't protect himself. He died trying to save me, the one who had rejected him."

Shizune surprised him then, and pulled the Daiyoukai into a tight embrace, "Puppy, you must not blame yourself. Sesshomaru made the mistake of rejecting _you_ first. He should have known it was going to take more than an apology to make things right. But you of all people should understand how stubborn Sesshomaru was." Shizune rubbed Inuyasha's back as he began to tremble slightly, "You and him both were confused, what happened was just a tragic accident and nothing more. You must not burden yourself with this."

The two sat like that for a few more minutes. Inuyasha finally got himself together, pulling himself from Shizune's embrace and wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, "Thanks for…putting up with me just now. I know this isn't exactly how the Daiyoukai should act."

"You are like anyone else who has lost someone, you need time to grieve as well. I myself was quite a wreck when the news reached me."

"Well…thanks anyways. I guess I better go check on Rin, she's probably awake and hungry." Inuyasha and Shizune stood, walking towards the door.

"I'll walk with you. I would like to see the child myself. Sesshomaru raised her far better than I had expected. I've always wanted a daughter, I guess her being my granddaughter will suffice enough." Shizune talked with Inu all the way to his room, chatting about random things. Inuyasha was beyond grateful for Shizune's comfortable demeanor, making it easy for him to talk with her as well. He could tell she was more the motherly type than he had expected the mother of Sesshomaru to be.

They found Rin out in the garden, lying in the grass. Inuyasha knelt down and ruffled her hair, causing her eyes to open slowly.

"He kiddo, wake up. There's someone who wants to see you." Rin sat up and her face lit up like the sun when she caught sight of Shizune.

"Obaa-San!" She cried as she dashed to the older woman. Shizune knelt down to catch her in her waiting arms. The two held each other, Shizune whispering her apologies for not being there sooner. Inuyasha watched, feeling as if he was intruding on some intimate family moment. Although, he thought, this was his family now. His daughter and his…well he had Shizune. He was allowed to have these moments with his family.

"Inuyasha, shall I have the servants bring us breakfast? It's so beautiful outside this morning, we should enjoy it before the winters come." Shizune was standing now, with Rin still at her side. Inuyasha simply nodded and went to change out of the fancy robes he was wearing. He didn't want to be uncomfortable any more, and his fire rat robe would take care of that.

Breakfast outside proved to be just what the three needed to lift their gloomy moods. Conversation was kept on the lighter topics, like Rin talking about her lessons and the friends she had made with some of the servant's children in the palace. Shizune talked about going with Rin to get some new clothes, since she was growing so fast and her others did not fit so well anymore. Inuyasha told stories of the little misadventures he and his pack had been though over the years. Usually Inu was to shy or to busy eating to hold conversation. But he found it increasingly easier to talk to Rin and Shizune. Overall breakfast had been surprisingly pleasant, and the three stayed talking even after they were done eating. Rin had been excused from her lessons for few weeks due to the circumstances, and Inuyasha had no other business to attend to for the day. Their good morning was interrupted, though, when a servant came to tell Inuyasha that Kagome wanted to see him.

Inuyasha had been dreading this moment since they had gotten to the castle. He knew he would have to eventually confront the young miko on the recent events, but he wasn't in the least bit prepared for her childish out bursts and possible temper tantrums. Not to mention he still had the cursed beads around his neck. Inuyasha could already feel the 'osuwari' he was more than likely going to receive. He made a mental note to make Kagome take the beads off before she left for her own world. He was a Daiyoukai now, and he could not be controlled so easily by a ningen woman. Unless of course that woman was his mate, but he had no intentions of that ever occurring.

Inuyasha followed the servant into the library, of which Inuyasha had only been in once since arriving at the castle. Kagome was sitting with Sango at a table sharing tea. When Sango noticed Inuyasha's arrival she excused herself, muttering something to Kagome about leaving the two of them to "hash things out". Inuyasha grunted at the tajiya as she whispered a 'good luck' to him as she passed. The Inu sat down across the cherry wood table and said nothing. Kagome fiddled with something in her lap, avoiding the hanyou's gaze. Inuyasha didn't feel like playing the miko's games, and decided to let her speak first.

"Inuyasha…" The miko seemed to have lost her words. Inuyasha noticed her hesitance, and realized that she was more confused and upset than angry. Maybe this would be a more pleasant conversation than he had thought.

"Come on Kagome, spit it out. I know you've got a lot of questions." Inuyasha said calmly. He wanted to keep this peaceful.

"I just don't understand…what…has happened", Kagome finally looked up.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, "Kagome, my brother is dead. I am now the Daiyoukai of my father's lands. That should be obvious." Kagome nodded slightly, but Inuyasha knew that wasn't what she wanted to know about.

"Kagome, I don't know how much Sango and Miroku have told you about demon culture, so I'm just going to explain this as well as I know how. Every demon, be they small or big, weak or strong, have inner youkai. It is, in a sense, the very soul of the demon. The inner youkai allows that demon to pull strength and power when needed, among other things.

"Every demon eventually finds a mate, whether they themselves find the mate, or their mate is chosen for them by their inner youkai. Inner youkai have this innate, and extremely annoying, way of knowing what their demon really wants, so more often then not the demon will not know who their mate is, but their inner youkai will already have picked them out. Once that happens, it's set in stone." Inuyasha stopped to let Kagome process what he had told her. After she looked at him and nodded for him to continue he started again, "Demons mate for life, well, most of the time. If one mate is unhappy with another they can take another mate. That's why me and Sesshomaru had different mothers. The only other exception is if one mate dies, the other can find a new one." Inuyasha paused again, only this time so he could collect himself. He was about to talk about things he really didn't want to.

"For the first part of my life, Sesshomaru treated me like shit. I know I don't have to explain it to you, you saw it first hand. But, even as a pup I always knew that I loved him. Even if at the time it was only brotherly, I loved my brother despite the constant suffering he put me through. After a while though, I began to love him as something more. But I knew he would never want me, so I pushed my feelings aside, to the point where I hated him with a passion. But apparently, my inner demon had already chosen Sesshomaru as my mate. And apparently so did Sesshomaru's. We were both so stubborn that we ignored it. Sesshomaru, though, realized his feelings long before I did."

Kagome interrupted, "See this is what I don't get", she said almost angrily, "You guys were brothers…isn't this considered incest?"

Inuyasha huffed, "See, in demon culture, incest isn't an issue. Our blood is pure enough that nothing happens to our offspring when two siblings or family members breed. Its pretty much expected in royal demon families, just so the royalty stays in the family."

Kagome nodded, but still didn't seem like she accepted it. Inuyasha ignored her and continued, "Well, anyways, when Sesshomaru began to realize that I was his mate, his youkai began to yearn for me, and it made him weaker every time he was denied."

Kagome noticed the hesitance in Inuyasha's voice, "A few weeks before the last fight with Naraku, Sesshomaru came to me to try and apologize and explain that he loved me. I refused his apology… and I told him I hated him." Inuyasha felt his voice begin to crack, his eyes beginning to water.

"So when he came to fight with us…Sesshomaru…he was really weak. That's why he couldn't heal himself…that's why he died." Inuyasha paused again, taking a deep breath. "And during the fight, my youkai realized that Sesshomaru was my mate, my beta. I was his Alpha and I couldn't even protect him." a tear fell from Inuyasha's golden eyes. He was shocked when Kagome's soft hand wiped his tear away. The hanyou looked up to see Kagome kneeling in front of him, a soft smile on her face.

"You really loved him, didn't you?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, Kagome, I really loved him." Inuyasha said just as quiet.

"And…me and you never had a chance then?"

"Kagome, you've always been like a sister to me. I do love you and care about you, just not in the way you hoped."

"Good, at least I wasn't totally forgotten." Kagome joked.

Inuyasha hugged her suddenly, "Of course not Kagome, you've been my friend the longest, I'm glad to have you by my side."

They parted and Kagome looked down again, "So, when will I see you again?"

"Whenever you come to visit the Feudal Era." Inuyasha said as if the answer was obvious.

"Yeah, I guess. But…eventually we are going to have to use the jewel to seal the well. We don't want what happened with Naraku to happen again."

"Well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm sure Miroku and Sango need your help to find the last few shards. So you wont be leaving us anytime soon."

They talked for a few more minutes before leaving for lunch. Inuyasha felt pretty good with the conversation he'd had with Kagome, at least there was no yelling or 'sitting' involved. As if reading his mind, Kagome stopped Inuyasha in front of the door to the dining room.

"I guess I should take these off then," Kagome reached for the beads around Inuyasha's neck and took them off, " The ruler of the Western Lands shouldn't wear subjugation beads."

"Thank you Kagome, this means a lot to me." Inuyasha rubbed her shoulder before leading her into the dining room. Everyone else was already there, Shizune making small talk with Sango while Miroku was entertaining Rin and Shippou with a story of some sort. Inuyasha was very pleased to see his friends and family together and having a good time. A few people from the funeral were still at the castle. Inuyasha took his place at the head of the table, the seat to the left of him empty. Inuyasha tried not to think about it, but he couldn't stop himself from imagining his brother sitting next to him. He pictured his brother in his fancy robes, his beautiful silver hair cascading down as he rubbed his swollen stomach, pregnant with their first pup. Inuyasha smiled sadly at the imagination. How he wanted that life so badly. The life he had been destined to live with his brother. He hated that he couldn't have that now. He hated that he had ruined it, that the gods hadn't let him have the happiness he so desperately wanted. But he had to move on. He couldn't dwell on it. He had a palace to run, a daughter to care for. He was beginning his new life. And he was going to do it with the best of his ability. He came from the greatest youkai lineage ever known and he would not let his father and his brother down.

He was the Daiyoukai of the Western Lands. And he was going to be the best damn lord anyone had ever seen.

**A/N:** Alright there you go guys. Now, I want to write a sequel to this, and I know I have a hard time sticking with stories, especially ones that are above three chapters. But I'm going to attempt it, and I wont start posting until I'm positive that I am going to continue it. It will definitely be different because it will be a Sessh/Inu but it will be in the past, and I'm planning and pairing Inu up with an OC. Anyways, please review, I love seeing what you guys think. And if you have any comments or ideas for the sequel let me know!

AkatsukixXxProdigy


End file.
